Will95 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Hello all, Ash and I are back in the hotseat again to throw soldiers at each other for another 4 years We just finished a very hard fought, lengthy campaign where I played as the Central Powers; I opened with a hard eastern focus, inflicting huge damage on Russia at the expense of slower progress in the West. Russia, Serbia and Romania collapsed in 1917, but meanwhile Italy broke through and closed on Vienna; thankfully stopped short by an influx of German reinforcements. Unfortunately, my u-boat aggression brought an early US entry and by May 1918 I'd been pummelled well and truly into capitulation. So, hopefully I can do a bit better as the Entente this time Turn One Offensive actions starts off with a bang - no invasion of Belgium here! Ash is trying a very different tactic, a full-on invasion of France, ignoring Belgium entirely. He has also elected to send Austro-Hungarian reinforcements to Serbia, rather than positioning them against Russia. This means Russia will go relatively un-pressured, at least for the duration of 1914, but it also means that the British have yet to enter the war. That means no naval blockade, and no British reinforcements can be deployed on French soil. Precious offensive resources are available to France at the start of the war, which tempers my counter-attack strategy. I managed two full corps kills in response to my 3 losses but Verdun looks seriously threatened. The north of France will fall undefended- I felt that force marching troops to occupy the mines there would be a suicide mission. Nothing else of note, Ash deploys his additional Austrian troops to Serbia and I advance my Russian corps towards the Galician Mines. Hope you guys enjoy the upcoming AAR, wish me luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Wish the both of you luck!!! First, I'm glad to be following your AAR. Second, The blow up screenshots are beautiful..!!! Had not played this game in some time, never got into full campaign mode in SP, signed up for MP, however it took forever to get a response, but by then had lost interest and moved on elsewhere. Regardless, in the meantime had hoped something like you are doing would come about and perhaps pique my interest to get back into the game, after-all winter is coming. Love this period of warfare and perhaps you can show myself and the other members some of the in's and out's of the game. Again: Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 15, 2016 Author Share Posted November 15, 2016 16 hours ago, operating said: Wish the both of you luck!!! First, I'm glad to be following your AAR. Second, The blow up screenshots are beautiful..!!! Had not played this game in some time, never got into full campaign mode in SP, signed up for MP, however it took forever to get a response, but by then had lost interest and moved on elsewhere. Regardless, in the meantime had hoped something like you are doing would come about and perhaps pique my interest to get back into the game, after-all winter is coming. Love this period of warfare and perhaps you can show myself and the other members some of the in's and out's of the game. Again: Good Luck! Thanks operating!! We've done a few AARs and they're always great fun. I really regret not doing one for out last war, it was awesome - I won't be caught out again Hope you enjoy the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 15, 2016 Author Share Posted November 15, 2016 Turn Two The West continues to see heavy fighting, with a German cavalry corps breaking through the thin line at Amiens and wreaking havoc in the backfield. The Germans took down two French corps this turn, but we responded by claiming three of theirs. Verdun holds steady, and as he used all his artillery shells pounding Nancy last turn I'm hoping it'll stay strong for a few more turns yet. British readiness creeps up but they're not in the war yet. French marines were deployed at Calais to stem the looming German advance. In Russia, an early win; the Galician Oilfields fall. This is not only a great National Morale victory for the Russians, but an economic one too - depriving the Austrians of much needed MPPs while bolstering my own. I'm now moving to surround the nearby fortress at Lemberg, and with a bit of luck I'll capture it before the year is out. With Ash deploying his spare Austrian forces against Serbia, I need to exploit the weakness. No picture for Serbia as not much is happening. I managed some reasonable counterattacks against a forward corps, but other than that the line was silent. I fully reinforced some half-strength troops in the area in preparation for some hard fighting ahead. The British started their research investments this turn, with 1 chit into Infantry Warfare and another into Shell Production. The Russians invested 2 chits into Trench Warfare - this is primarily for the benefit of the Serbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 What's going on up Koeningsburg way? I'm wondering if Germany is going all out at the Western Front leaving just a token force in the East. Austria does not look all that shabby, perhaps he is having a change of heart about Serbia it's only August 22nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Not too much action in the north - I captured the port and town that were left undefended near the border, but there's a sizeable defensive force there that I can't push against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Turn Three More action in the west. As a reflection of the seriousness of the situation, the French muster a defensive garrison for Paris. Meanwhile Verdun is under seige, surrounded. We destroyed some corps guarding nearby but the artillery looms in the distance... The north of France is still relatively undefended, but the Germans seem to be pausing to regroup - the very forward units have been left out of good supply for some time. In the east, a breakthrough as an Austrian HQ comes under attack. I have surrounded the fortress at Lemberg and the inhabitants morale is reduced. I will aim to storm the castle next turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Turn Four Lots of excitement this turn. Verdun fell, as was sadly expected. Three French corps down, again, and without much retaliation. The French army at this point is not very large, and with the British only just now entering the war, they're somewhat on their own. Belgium entered the war - they have a small but professional army, unfortunately with Germans on both sides they won't last more than a turn or two. I'm hoping to evacuate the HQ and at least one of the corps to Britain where they can be redeployed somewhere less hot! A lot of interesting decisions this turn too - I decided to send the Indian army to Egypt rather than France, as I want to get started putting myself in a good offensive position for when the Ottomans enter the war. I was also offered the choice of deploying a British HQ + corps to Amiens, but given that Amiens is already the front line, I felt it was too risky and decided to deploy to the UK. If I can cling on to Calais (currently guarded by French marines) I might be able to make a risky but potentially rewarding play. In the East, the Russians used human wave tactics to storm Lemberg. I took losses, but taking the fortress not only dismantles part of a very strong Austrian front line, boosting Russian NM in the process, but also encourages Romania to enter the war. They may yet be a target for diplomacy to tip them over the edge. In Serbia, the Austrians seem to be holding back. I noticed a corps was operated to the front line at Lemberg, which is a sign that Ash is feeling pressured - I imagine the reinforcements were sent from the Serbian front line. All that is to say, I still comfortably hold Belgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Did Belgium enter on it's own? or, Did CP DOW Belgium? Forgive me if I am missing something, have not played this game in over a year.... How do you think the Russians will fare if AH is able to block the mountain passes through the winter? I'm a little puzzled with what is "not happening" in Serbia... Do the Russkies have artillery? What I like about MP: Is that you know your opponent cannot spam units (and ammo) like the AI does... One final question: Is your opponent reading this AAR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Belgium entered on it's own in this case, at the start of my turn. I believe that if I'm able to take both fortresses, then Ash will probably block the mountain passes - it's not difficult, due to the narrow corridors. In that case I'll turn my attention to the Germans, retaking both fortresses from me at that point will be quite the challenge In Serbia the Austrians are looking mean but besides an early attempt to attack the town south of Belgrade, they haven't attempted much. Most of the troops are between 80-90% strength, not full strength, so not ready for a big attack. I imagine most of the Austrian MPPs are being sunk into the Russian front. Is he reading it - no, or at least I hope not Gentlemen's agreement and all that. We read each other's after the war is over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) Made the same Gentlemen's Agreement with others in MP AARs (some written by yours truly) over at the Matrix CTGW forum. Can't find your other AAR or AARs, looked back several forum pages here finding no results. Am I looking in the wrong place? Edited November 16, 2016 by operating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 OK, I found one of your AARs http://community.battlefront.com/topic/119668-ww1-call-to-arms-ash-vs-will-central-powers/ ironically I found it on page 2 of this forum, must have overlooked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 That one petered out when RL got in the way - our matches take place over several months so unfortunately this does happen. We had some very fun ones though, like this one (from both sides of the conflict); Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Turn Five The cavalry holding Amiens were destroyed and the Germans continue to consolidate their position in the north of France. The French are under a huge amount of pressure now, but Belfort holds for the moment - I don't expect to keep it though. I evacuated the Belgian HQ and two detatchments via transports - one was caught by a cleverly placed submarine, but the HQ got away safely. The British will arrive next turn and assist in the defence of Paris. In the east, the Russians continue to put the hurt on the Austrians. The sheer weight of troops bearing down on the AH front line causes another corps to fall and another is brought close to cracking. We manage a limited offensive against the HQ in the area too. I'm hoping to continue to push them back and hopefully surround the second fortress by the time snow arrives. In Serbia, the Austrians moved to surround Belgrade - and were swiftly beaten back, one corps destroyed. If I can hold Belgrade into 1915, it'll be a big win for me, and it should help persuade the Romanians to join the noble Entente cause! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I'm counting 31 German visible units against 19 French and 3 Belgian units, not good. What's in your production queue? Is there anything coming up from the Med.? Is it "game over" if Paris is captured? Can't see German artillery, for that matter, can't see any French artillery either...!!!! Blindfolds and firing squads coming soon... This will be real interesting if you can save your French Capital.... Good Luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Turn Six A dreadful turn for the French - two corps were brushed aside outside Amiens ahead of a powerful German offensive, which has brought the front line dangerously close to Paris. My priority now is the defence of the capital to prevent the NM collapse that would occur if I were to lose it. Worse, the British MPP income is choking under the heavy expenditure of so many decision events over the last few turns, so all I'm able to send is the HQ for now. A large British army - big enough to stem the German tide, at least for a while, is waiting on the island for transportation, but cost is the biggest factor at play now... With so much resources committed to the West, I'm gearing up the Russians for an assault into Germany proper - I have my eye on the two mines nearest the border. Taking both of those out would probably force a strong reaction. Down the line the Austrians battered some Russian units, but I'm a long way from running out of troops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 On 17/11/2016 at 10:45 PM, operating said: I'm counting 31 German visible units against 19 French and 3 Belgian units, not good. What's in your production queue? Is there anything coming up from the Med.? Is it "game over" if Paris is captured? Can't see German artillery, for that matter, can't see any French artillery either...!!!! Blindfolds and firing squads coming soon... This will be real interesting if you can save your French Capital.... Good Luck!!! Yes, the situation is very bad in France! I believe Ash is going 'all-in' to try to KO me, including sending reserve defensive corps from the east, in order to press his advantage here, hence the eastern mines left undefended. It's bad, but I think I have enough going for me in other places. The game does not end if Paris is captured, although it does deal a huge blow to French NM. French artillery doesn't arrive until a bit into 1915, same with the British. Part of what makes the Germans so strong in 1914 and early 1915 is that they are the only faction with artillery - and they start off with artillery level 1 (meaning it reduces entrenchment) while everyone else starts off with 0. So the placement of that artillery in the first turn's deployment phase is really what defines the early part of this campaign. I put mine in the East last match and used it to hammer the Russians, capturing Warsaw before Christmas. You can also send it to Serbia which makes capturing Belgrade and Nish much, much easier. Or, as Ash is doing here, you use it to brutalise your way through the French with terrific gusto, and not a small amount of skill!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 OMG!!! What are you going to do??? See that weather conditions were kept in this scenario, rain might be your best friend.... I'd be like Napoleon asking: "Where's Gouchy ?". Do you have help on the way? Thought that abandoning Belfort by RR would help, but that may make things worse... Does the game start with 4 French generals? What's going on at Calais? What's their supply status if alive? Can they ship out or keep them there to tie up German elements? Hope you find a good defense before winter sets in and pray for a Christmas Truce.... Going to have to fire up this scenario to see what both sides have coming to them. What's going on here has me in suspense. Yah!!! The Russians look mighty and in depth! However they have gained just a little real-estate and likely will stall for the winter if not used aggressively, for you must know the Germans are likely to be coming to the AH aid in a big way come spring (France will be subdued)... Could you take some screenshots (SS) of East Prussia and post them please. Right now, my thinking is you should put a token force opposite AH and concentrate on reinforcing a East Prussian offensive, of course you need rail to do so... Once those captured French and Belgian cities start producing MMPs Germany will really will have a free hand, I'm sure that's not lost on you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Turn Seven Snowfall puts a pause on the relentless German offensive. Action is light with some maneuvering - the British finally make landfall as the French are clearly in dire need. Belfort is surrounded and artillery moves up to pound it to rubble - no doubt the fortress will be stolen next turn. The French are simply outnumbered horrifically. The Russians, seeking to create a distraction, send troops to occupy unguarded German mines. This will surely force a swift response and force the operating of some troops to the area, unless Ash wants to open up a significant hole in his eastern line. More Austrian troops seem to have been operated to face the Russians, which is a good sign as it takes the pressure off Serbia. The Serbs still hold steady, although an outbreak of Typhus at the end of my turn reduced the effectiveness of a lot of front line troops. A detatchment sallied out to occupy Sarajevo, and the Romanians observe with interest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Turn Eight Finally into 1915, and it has become unseasonably warm - the snow lifted, allowing for an unprecented turn of aggressive moves from the Germans. Firstly, they took Belfort as was expected. Then they advanced, closing in on Paris. Where are the British, you might well wonder!! They are arriving, but slowly. Hopefully I'll have 5 fresh British corps ready for action on the continent by Ma, although I may have lost Paris by then... Hostilities finally began in the Middle East this turn, with attacks on an outstretched Ottoman detachment. ANZAC corps are moving to assist, but further reinforcement of this front will be necessary if I'm to make any significant gains. Finally some action in Northern Prussia as the Russians heed the desperate call from the French to distract the Germans. A German marine corps was caught unawares and struck down easily. Ash will now have to choose between operating more troops to this sector, or falling back from his heavily defensive position by the river near Konigsberg. Danzig has been left wide open. Further down the line, the German reaction to my little foray into their mining territory was appropriately strong. A HQ and 5 fresh corps from the West were operated immediately to the front line - I maintain hold of the mines and destroyed one German corps. More Russian reinforcements have been sent to this sector to help try to protect my gains and force more German attention here. Further down the line the Austrians come under attack, with one corps brought to 1 strength. The Serbian front is quickly emptying of Austrian troops as they get send to help defend against the Russians. The Typhus outbreak at the end of my last turn was quite painful, hitting my HQ and my front line supply. However once recovered, I now outnumber the Austrians 6 corps to 5, plus detachments, and I may be able to go on the offensive... Furthermore my capture of Sarajevo sent ripples through Italy, and their readiness increased. The better the Serbs do against the Austrians, the closer the Romanians and Italians get to entering the war, which might just make up for the dreadful start in the West. Britain got a hit on shell production at the end of this turn. My tech strategy right now is to get improved artillery for the British and Russians ASAP - in the former case this will allow me to make quick progress in the Middle East, and for the Russians it will allow me to crack the 2nd Austrian fortress at Przyemsl, further tipping the Romanians towards war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 21 hours ago, operating said: OMG!!! What are you going to do??? See that weather conditions were kept in this scenario, rain might be your best friend.... I'd be like Napoleon asking: "Where's Gouchy ?". Do you have help on the way? Thought that abandoning Belfort by RR would help, but that may make things worse... Does the game start with 4 French generals? What's going on at Calais? What's their supply status if alive? Can they ship out or keep them there to tie up German elements? Hope you find a good defense before winter sets in and pray for a Christmas Truce.... Going to have to fire up this scenario to see what both sides have coming to them. What's going on here has me in suspense. Yah!!! The Russians look mighty and in depth! However they have gained just a little real-estate and likely will stall for the winter if not used aggressively, for you must know the Germans are likely to be coming to the AH aid in a big way come spring (France will be subdued)... Could you take some screenshots (SS) of East Prussia and post them please. Right now, my thinking is you should put a token force opposite AH and concentrate on reinforcing a East Prussian offensive, of course you need rail to do so... Once those captured French and Belgian cities start producing MMPs Germany will really will have a free hand, I'm sure that's not lost on you... Yes, the French start with 4 generals provided you say Yes to the decision to deploy general Foch (level 8 general so a no-brainer really). Help is on the way, albeit slowly. I said Yes to a lot of British DE's which really hampered my income, more than I thought it would so haven't been able to afford as much transportation as I would have liked. It just picked up at the end of turn 8 so hopefully it'll come faster now. Yes, the Russian's are at a bit of a standstill now without artillery, especially as the Austrians just got level 2 entrenchment. However I have 2 chits in improved artillery and I will take delivery of my first artillery piece in early 1915, so if I get a hit I'll be able to start moving again. I have, in any case, begun to move offensively in Prussia, but the German troops are significantly better than my own, assuming tech parity, while the Austrians are on the same level. That's why I always like to hit the Austrians early and hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will95 Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Turn Nine Snowfall returns again, but not before the Germans had a chance to knock out 3 more French corps. The only saving grace is that the defenders took a lot of Germans with them, so the enemy front line is full of half-strength corps. The British had their first proper engagements of the war, defending valiantly against a German attack (doing 12 points of damage while only taking 4!). Lots more British arrived this turn, and next turn I play to replace French (terrible 4* general) with someone more capable of the Herculean task now required. I'm also going to prepare my Marines for an amphibious assault, possibly to retake the port of Calais and force the Germans away from the north coast. Notice the thinning German line as the Kaiser realises that he has pressing matters to attend to in the East... The Austrians launched a number of spoiling attacks against the Russians but didn't achieve much. You'll notice Russian artillery has now arrived, and once I unlock level 1 artillery I should be able to storm the next fortress. This, I believe, will tip the Romanians further toward mobilization, which opens the door to all kinds of mischief - invasion of Bulgaria, threatening Constantinople...etc. At least 3 German corps were operated to northern Prussia to defend, and I pulled back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 It would be awesome if you could cut the rail lines west of Danzig and or capture Danzig would even be better.. Have to wonder if just crowding Koeningsburg with units so that G reinforcements could not be placed there while continuing gobbling up turf towards Berlin might send G into a tizzy. Really like the prospect of capturing Jablonista Pass, a push there would really test AH resolve to hold it's entire front. Between Tarnow and Kolomea there are only 9 AH and 1 G units to your 23 units, yes it would be nice to capture Przyeml, what about encircling the whole AH line? Pushing south of Tarnow and north from the Jablonista Pass capture with your Galacian reserves, leave a passive army in front of Przyeml certainly the numbers are in your favor, G will go nuts trying to block or break this encirclement, or they will have to protect their Homeland from your Prussian invasion. I don't think G can do both.. I'd be more inclined to put R artillery at Koeningsburg (city value much greater than Przyeml)... Just got a notification you have posted again so I'll stop here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 OK, just read your most recent post... I don't know about you, I wish this game was hexed. Tiles to me make encirclements really difficult. Can't see why you are pulling back, my feeling is to maintain contact so that G units can't move or restrict their movement. Been eying the G city (has a red 2 in it) a couple of tiles east of Moravian Pass. It seems you are close to capturing it, or at least I hope you do. What that city means to me : Is that is the closest point from where the G can reinforce (place) near the AH front, plus it has rail, taking that would really logistically slow G down with helping AH.. Are you going to capture the Uszok Pass and take a crack at the AH General? At the very least it would drive him northwards losing any influence on the AH units south of him, not sure what happens if he takes damage. Can see that R has few MMP left. What I am afraid of is that R will lose the initiative. What scares me about France is what I/you don't see.... Strategically I feel Brittan should focus more on France than the Turks. It looks like the G are running rampant in Eastern France, however I am hoping against hope that you can stem the hurt, stabilize, and make a come-back.... One other thing: Can the Serbs attain artillery? or airpower? I thought I was looking at the Russian flag earlier for MMP, it turns out it was Serbia with only 9 points, the turn before they had 54. Where is the Russian flag for MMP, ect.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operating Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 7 hours ago, operating said: Can't see why you are pulling back, my feeling is to maintain contact so that G units can't move or restrict their movement. Been eying the G city (has a red 2 in it) a couple of tiles east of Moravian Pass. It seems you are close to capturing it, or at least I hope you do. What that city means to me : Is that is the closest point from where the G can reinforce (place) near the AH front, plus it has rail, taking that would really logistically slow G down with helping AH.. When I made the above comment I did not notice that that city with the red 2 in it actually was a G mine and that the red with the 2 in it was actually a Russian 2 MMP as a result of being captured, but what got me was the red "Russian border line" to the east of that mine, indicating to me that the mine was not under Russian control. Is that because you retreated from that mine tile? If so, that might have been a mistake IMO. You outnumber G & AH in that region with units in what appear to be in good shape attached to a general (presumably), The enemy have no general.!! All to your advantage... Speaking of R generals (of whom I don't know their values) seemed to be all bunched up in Galicia, might you consider spreading them out more to support other units or at least send an extra general up north where it/they could be utilized better? I should have known that any MMP values shown on the map would be of your side (especially when read deep into your territory), can't say I've seen MMP values of the enemy at the moment, unless one of your units was near enough to expose it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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